Avengers' potatoes
Lurking behind this strange name (see reason below) is a kind of potato-cheese gratin, which is wrapped in thin slices of bacon. It's cooked first on the hob, then in the oven.
315 K 4.0/5 (23 reviews)
1 hour 55 min.
Easy
3.60 €
6 people
6 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 6 people, you will need:
- 1
1 kg 500 g potatoes - 2
200 g belly (streaky) bacon - 3
100 g grated cheese - 4
1 tablespoon goose fat - 5
salt - 6
pepper - Total weight: 1,815 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 55 min.
All in all: 1 hour 55 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 30 min.
Wash and peel 1 kg 500 g potatoes, cut into even medium sized slices
Stage 2 - 10 min.
Put the potato slices in a pan, cover with water, salt and bring to boil.
As soon as it boils, remove from heat and drain in strainer.
Set aside.
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
As soon as it boils, remove from heat and drain in strainer.
Set aside.
Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
Stage 3 - 1 min.
In a large pan that can be used both on the hob and in the oven (with metal or removable handle), melt 1 tablespoon goose fat (or butter).
Stage 4 - 15 min.
As soon as fat is melted, remove pan from heat, and lay 200 g belly (streaky) bacon slices in bottom (bacon should be as thin as possible).
Make a kind of rose-window shape, radiating from centre...
Make a kind of rose-window shape, radiating from centre...
Stage 5
...all round up and over the sides.
No matter if some slices overlap others a little, especially in centre, ideally you should no longer be able to see the bottom of the pan .
No matter if some slices overlap others a little, especially in centre, ideally you should no longer be able to see the bottom of the pan .
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Put one third of potatoes onto bacon, salt, pepper and add half grated cheese.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Make another potato layer, add rest of cheese and a final layer of potatoes.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Fold bacon slices over on top.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
Put the pan on high heat for 2 or 3 minutes, to start cooking and brown bacon.
Stage 10 - 40 min.
Put in the oven for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
Stage 11
Turn out by inverting pan onto a dish or a big plate.
Serve if possible with green salad and a good French dressing (vinaigrette).
Serve if possible with green salad and a good French dressing (vinaigrette).
Remarks
This is a very approximate recipe, don't hesitate to change all ingredients to your taste: a bit more of this, a bit less of that will pose no problem.
The strange name "avenger's potatoes"? Oh yes, here's the reason: it came from another recipe by famous French chef Joel Robuchon called "pommes des vendangeurs" (grape-pickers' potatoes). When we made it for the first time, my elder son Jeremy was 10 and he loved it (like all the family) and asked for more "avengers' potatoes" because that was what he'd understood by this new word. Of course, it's easier to understand the confusion in French, because the words "avengers" (vengeurs) and "grape-pickers" (vendangeurs) are quite similar. Anyway we kept the name for this (now) traditional family recipe.
The strange name "avenger's potatoes"? Oh yes, here's the reason: it came from another recipe by famous French chef Joel Robuchon called "pommes des vendangeurs" (grape-pickers' potatoes). When we made it for the first time, my elder son Jeremy was 10 and he loved it (like all the family) and asked for more "avengers' potatoes" because that was what he'd understood by this new word. Of course, it's easier to understand the confusion in French, because the words "avengers" (vengeurs) and "grape-pickers" (vendangeurs) are quite similar. Anyway we kept the name for this (now) traditional family recipe.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Joël Robuchon, via Jérémy.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 70 RDI=30 % | 290 RDI=30 % | 160 RDI=20 % | 2,900 RDI=150 % | 12,150 RDI: 150 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 160 RDI=8 % | 670 RDI: 8 % |
| Per person | 10 RDI=4 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 30 RDI=4 % | 480 RDI=20 % | 2,030 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 3.60 €
- Per person : 0.60 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Potatoes
Like these other recipes: Potato and broccoli gratin, Gratin Dauphinois, Green bean purée, Minestrone, Normandy seafood stew, ... See them all 84
Belly (streaky) bacon
Like these other recipes: Tartiflette, Roast beef "like they do it in Santa Fe", Cassoulet, Potted meat (rillettes), Rillons de Tours, ... See them all 31
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Polenta parmentier, Cauliflower and chickpea purée, Layered Leek and Egg Gratin , Creamy rice with spinach, Italian style gratin, ... See them all 75
Goose fat
Like these other recipes: Icelandic-style fish and vegetable pie, Chicken with rice and leeks, Foie gras cured in salt, Chicken pie, Rustic chicken and mushroom pie, ... See them all 15
Other recipes you may also like
Pretzels
Pretzels are bread sticks looped into a knot, probably with origins in southern Germany. The tops are sprinkled with poppy seeds or grains of coarse salt. Here is a fairly straightforward recipe that is simple to prepare. October 24th 2017151 K4.9 5 hours 25 min.
Foie gras Chantilly
Chantilly is a method which is applied to cream of course, but also to other surprising ingredients. If we look at the more scientific side of Chantilly we can see that it's mainly cream, and cream is a mix of very small droplets of milk fat and water, which is called an emulsion. When we whip this emulsion, we incorporate air into it and so create a mousse or foam. In the end Chantilly is a foaming emulsion. The interest of this observation is that we can imagine doing the same not only with... September 17th 2013129 K4.6 30 min.
Spinach and hard-boiled egg gratin
In this gratin, spinach and hard-boiled eggs are combined with bechamel sauce and topped with grated cheese. December 18th 2013157 K4.7 35 min.
Asparagus "en petit pois"
As the name suggests, this historic recipe (see below for more details) treats asparagus like peas, Napoleonic French style: first cooked the usual way, then cut small (to look like peas), cooked again in stock, and finished with a cream and egg yolk sauce. May 2nd 202148 K 45 min.
Grapefruit cake
A moist, triple grapefruit cake: zest, juice and syrup. March 24th 202426 K 2 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-10-26)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.